150 master trainers reach out to locals to dispel fears about disposal of Union Carbide waste in Madhya Pradesh

Dhar (MP): As many as 150 master trainers armed with literature and pamphlets have been visiting schools, industries, shops and markets to dispel fear about the proposed disposal of 337 tonnes of Union Carbide waste in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, an official said on Sunday.

Following the public outcry over the plans to incinerate the waste from the now-defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal at Pithampur earlier this month, the government has been taking measures to convince people that the move will not have any negative repercussions.

Around 150 master trainers, including science teachers, professors and officials, are meeting people in schools, industries, shops, markets and elsewhere to dispel the fear about waste disposal, Dhar collector Priyank Mishra told PTI on Sunday.

He said the master trainers are distributing pamphlets and holding one-on-one talks with people in Pithampur to inform them that the waste was not poisonous.

"This week, we will spread awareness by holding 'nukkad sabhas' (street-corner meetings). Our campaign will continue for two more weeks," Mishra said.

Talking to PTI, social worker Sandeep Raghuvanshi, who had ignited a public movement against waste disposal with his indefinite sit-in near the Pithampur bus stand on January 2, however, said they will take out a torchlight march in February to protest the incineration of the waste.

He said their campaign to send postcards signed by Pithampur residents to President Droupadi Murmu, the Chief Justice of India, and the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, requesting their intervention, has gained traction.

More than 25,000 postcards have been sent till now, and they plan to send one lakh postcards by this month-end, Raghuvanshi said, adding that a massive torchlight march will be taken out next month.

On January 2, the waste, packed in 12 sealed containers, was shifted from the now-defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal to the disposal site at Pithampur, located 250 km from the state capital.

Protests commenced in the industrial town hours after the waste reached the area, with agitators claiming that the disposal would harm the people and environment.

On January 6, the principal bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur granted the state government six weeks to act on the Union Carbide factory waste disposal as per the safety guidelines. The authorities had sought time to educate people and dispel their fear about waste disposal following protests in Pithampur.

On the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, highly toxic methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal, killing at least 5,479 persons and leaving thousands with serious injuries and long-lasting health issues.